Special Sign wins G2 Harvest Cup Futurity, second
consecutive stakes win
FORT WORTH, Texas – Special Sign remains with a 2-2 stakes race record after
winning the Grade 2 Harvest Cup Futurity on August 22, 2010, at Arapahoe Park in
Aurora, Colorado. The two-year-old sorrel solid Paint-bred gelding is owned by
the Rifle, Colorado-based ranch, The Painted Pitchfork. The gelding earned
$9,210 for the win in this $25,573 race over 350-yards. He finished the race
with a time of 17.97 seconds.
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Special Sign wins 2010 Harvest Cup Futurity.
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Special Sign was sired by Special Leader AQHA and out of Signs Of Summer, a
Paint mare sired by Meter Me Gone AQHA. John and Neva Downing of The Painted
Pitchfork are the breeders and owners of the gelding. The horse has accumulated
earnings of $27,306 for the year. Tim Weeder is the trainer of Special Sign.
Russell Vicchrilli was the jockey for this race. Special Sign will head to
Oklahoma and Texas to race, including the Lone Star Park Paint and Appaloosa
Futurity in Texas. The Painted Pitchfork’s horses have won this race before with
Special Indian Summer in 2007, Azures Meteor in 2003 and Mistress Mary in 1996.
"I thought the race was really good, he blew them away," said
owner/breeder John Downing. "He’s just a nice horse. He’s really easy to handle,
doesn’t cause any problems and he doesn’t seem to be bothered by anything on the
track. If he gets into trouble, he just shakes it off and keeps going. He’s
sound and we’re really proud of him."
Finishing second was BH Country Cutie, a double-registered Paint and Quarter
Horse, sired by Country Quick Dash and out of Apollo Snowbound AQHA, sired by
Snowbound AQHA. The two-year-old red roan overo mare was bred by Bill Hoburg and
D. Canfield of Kennewick, Washington. The mare is owned by Bill Hoburg along
with partners Loebner and Loebner of Vancouver, Washington. BH Country Cutie ran
the race in a time of 18.14 seconds, earning $4,603 to make her total earnings
$8,833. This mare has also run as a Quarter Horse, finishing first in two stakes
races earlier this year. She was trained by Farrell Christofferse and ridden by
Roberto Valero.
Texmequick finished third for owner Clement Hurtado, Jr. of Sallisaw, Oklahoma.
The sorrel solid Paint-bred mare was sired by Royal Quick Flash and out of Texas
Reviews, by Texas Hero. She was bred by Mark and Rhonda Hammons of Tahlequah,
Oklahoma. Texmequick ran the race in a time of 18.27 seconds, earning $2,813 to
make her earnings $3,191. She was trained by Dustin Carpenter and ridden by
Fernando Camacho.
Other horses completing the race, along with times, include Shakin Thunder
(18.27 seconds), Sweet Little Lamb (18.32 seconds), Mountain Treasure (18.34
seconds), Dash Poruno (18.42 seconds), Off The Radar (18.51 seconds) and Ms
Hardbody (18.77 seconds). K Cross Cortez was scratched prior to the race.
More about Paint Horse racing
Horse racing has long been one of America’s favorite spectator sports. With the
recent growth of the Paint Horse breed, it’s no wonder that Paints have become
one of the hottest tickets in the horse racing industry.
Since 1966, when APHA officially recognized the sport, Paint racing has made
major strides forward. In that inaugural year, 17 starters ran for $1,290 in
just two states—Texas and Oklahoma. In 2009, more than 540 starters competed in
more than 530 APHA-recognized races for record purses totaling more than $4.7
million.
A total of 17 states now feature Paint racing, including Arizona, California,
Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota,
Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Paint
Horses also race in Canada.
"With a wealth of top performing Paint racehorses, dedicated owners and
talented trainers and jockeys, Paint Racing continues to remain a strong program
in the horse industry," said APHA Executive Director Lex Smurthwaite. "Paint
Racing enthusiasts recognized the amount of purse money available and have
jumped in to take advantage of the lucrative payouts."
For more information on Paint Horse racing, contact APHA’s racing department at
(817) 222-6444, email racing@apha.com, or
visit paintracing.com.